1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of infrastructure systems in general. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of electrical and communications infrastructure routing within a permanent or temporary home, building, or facility.
2. Description of the Related Art
A major factor in the occupation of any commercial or residential space is the routing of AC power and communications lines. Without power for computers, lamps, facsimile machines, copiers, printers and other devices, most modem workspaces simply cannot be occupied. With the growth in information technology, the same has become true for access to communication lines. In all types of work environments, from offices to manufacturing facilities, information and the ability to share information has become central to the operations of many employees. Workers in offices and production facilities need access to information relating to customers, inventory, design plans, and scheduling to name just a few. While access to information has significantly aided workers in performing their jobs, competition has made providing such access an essential for firms wishing to be competitive in the marketplace of the 21st century. Firms wishing to occupy new office space or manufacturing facilities are faced with substantial costs in routing power and communication lines with currently available infrastructure systems.
With the advent of information entertainment such as cable TV, DSS dishes, internet hookups and on-line services, there is an increasing need to run multiple power, video, voice, data and other communication lines within the home. This trend is increasing as workers, with the advent of computer networks, face the option of tele-commuting or working late on a home computer by accessing data from computers at work or elsewhere. Home connectivity to communication and information networks is an important feature in a residential space directly effecting the quality of life of the resident.
The standard wall jack used in most homes and offices has substantial limitations which increase the cost of rerouting an office space. As office partitions change, relocating outlets is an expensive, labor intensive proposition. Each outlet needs to be rerouted though the wall to its new location. Additionally, even when installed, the wires and cables plugged into the jack protrude perpendicularly from the wall. This makes them prone to damage from shifting furniture or from traffic within the space. Furniture placed in the office must be positioned several inches away from the wall to give adequate space for the protruding wires and cables. Pushing furniture too close to the wall can bend or damage the connectors on the jack. In the event that placement of computer equipment within a space is changed from the original conception, or new equipment is added, the cost and interruption associated with installing new outlets often results in the hazard of running extension cables along walls and across floors.
Another attempt at retrofitting an existing space with power and communication lines is shown in FIG. 1. Instead of installing outlets within the walls, as described above, existing space is retrofitted with power and communication cables with a surface mount jack (2). The jack (2) protrudes perpendicularly to the wall and actually protrudes further from the wall than the standard wall jack. Unlike the standard wall jack, the surface mounted wall jack runs the power and communication cables inside a conduit (4) attached to the wall. In addition to the disadvantages described above for wires and cables protruding perpendicular to the wall, the surface mounting of the conduit (4) departs from the clean lines often associated with modern architectural style.
Another current attempt to provide power and communication lines to workstations are floor mounted jack systems. While floor mounted jack systems do not have connectors protruding from the wall, they have other significant disadvantages. One disadvantage is the difficulty in relocating floor jacks in standard flooring. As with the standard wall mounted jack, floor jacks must be routed through to fixed jacks that cannot easily be relocated. In the standard flooring of existing office buildings or homes, a hole in the floor must be drilled or cut to allow routing of the cables and installation of the jack. This makes relocating jacks prohibitively expensive. While artificial flooring exists, which can be mounted above existing flooring for jack installation and cable routing, this is very expensive and not well suited to home use.
Accordingly, it is desired that the present invention overcome the limitations of current infrastructure systems and equipment.